Navion G accident near Imperial, California, November 29, 2005
On November 29, 2005 at about 1:00 am local time, a Navion G, registered N2455T, was destroyed in an accident near Imperial, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree and transmission wires while performing a low altitude maneuver. Also causal was the pilot's impaired judgment and performance due to alcohol ingestion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 2005 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Imperial, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Navion G
- Registration
- N2455T · no longer on the register · serial 2455
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with a tree and transmission wires while performing a low pass maneuver over a barbeque gathering. The airplane made several low-altitude passes just prior to the accident. On the final pass, the left wing collided with a tree located near the barbeque grill. After the initial impact, pieces of the wing fell to the ground. The remaining skin on the left wing shed as the airplane flew into transmission wires, impacted the soft terrain, and flipped inverted. A post accident examination revealed no evidence of preimpact malfunction or failure of the airframe or engine. Toxicological tests of the pilot were positive for ethyl alcohol with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent (W/V). The pilot took off between 1 and 1.5 hours prior to the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,376.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 23CN El Centro CA at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from IPL, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.